Sports – Page 78 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Kansas State’s upset bid comes up short at No. 11 Texas Tech

Posted on January 6, 2019

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Davide Moretti made a handful of big offensive plays at opportune times, including a big personal run, to spark No. 11 Texas Tech in a matchup of two great defensive teams.

Moretti scored a career-high 19 points and Matt Mooney added 14 to give the Red Raiders enough of an edge to hold off Kansas State 63-57 on Saturday.

“We needed some grit to beat a Kansas State team that wasn’t going to go away, and Davide delivered,” Tech coach Chris Beard said. “I thought we showed some grit. We hung in there and gave ourselves a chance.”

Kansas State (10-4, 0-2 Big 12), which trailed 14-0 less than 7 minutes into the game, erased most of a 34-19 halftime deficit. The Wildcats were within 43-42 when Barry Brown knocked down a long 3-pointer with 6:55 left in the game.

But Texas Tech (13-1, 2-0) found some offensive rhythm to pull away, with Moretti scoring 10 points in a row for the Red Raiders. He hit a 3-pointer before Brown’s shot, and then scored the game’s next seven points after that. That included another 3 as Tech pushed to a 50-42 lead.

Brown led the Wildcats with 16 points and Cartier Diarra added 11 on a day when they struggled to make shots. Still without injured Big 12 preseason player of the year Dean Wade, they shot only 33 percent (19 of 57) from the field.

“They guard differently than anybody else,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “They kind of play on your ego and push you to drive to the hoop and then they make the right play. You have to make the right play against them.”

Tariq Owens had a blocked shot that led to a layup by Moretti and also a steal in that key-turning push by the Red Raiders.

“That was a big-time moment,” Moretti said.

Added Weber, “It seemed like every time we made a push, he hit a big shot.”

The Wildcats were down 14-0 before Brown’s two free throws 6 1/2 minutes into the game. They missed their first 13 shots from the floor until Diarra got loose on a runout and hit a driving layup with just over 9 minutes left in the first half. That basket triggered a brief Wildcats’ surge — seven points in 1:18.

“When you’ve got to fight your butt off (from 14-0), it’s hard to recover and grab that lead,” Weber said. “To our guys’ credit, we figured some things out. We scored better in the second half.”

Texas Tech hit a lull about that same time, missing seven field goals in a row after DeShaun Coprew buried a 3-pointer at the 12-minute mark.

Moretti helped the Red Raiders get back on track when he hit a 3, Culver made his only field goal of the first half on an offensive rebound and those shots helped Tech close the half on a 17-9 run.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: Offensive efficiency remains a problem for the Wildcats with Wade out and point guard Kamau Stokes limited by an injury. To avoid a 0-3 start in conference play for the first time since 2015-16, K-State needs more scorers to emerge.

Texas Tech: Winning ugly is becoming a specialty for the Raiders, but their defense gives them an edge against most foes when games play out that way.

OFFICIAL HURT

Official Rick Crawford had to be helped off the court 90 seconds into the second half after he collided with a player waiting to check in. Crawford appeared woozy as he left the court with two medical personnel assisting him. He did not return. Gerry Pollard and Marques Pettigrew worked as a two-man crew the rest of the way.

HELPING SOME

Tech standout Jarrett Culver, who struggled against the K-State defense, gave his team a 53-43 lead with 2:21 to go when he hit three free throws. That ended a stretch of five misses in a row in a half when the Raiders hit 15 of 23 from the stripe. Culver was only 2-of-7 shooting but had nine points and seven rebounds.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: The Wildcats head back home to take on West Virginia on Wednesday.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders play host to Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

Missouri State gets blown out at home against Valpo

Posted on January 6, 2019

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Ryan Fazekas scored 18 points and Valparaiso used a big first half to roll past Missouri State, 82-66 and pick up a Missouri Valley Conference victory on the road Saturday afternoon.

Valpo needed a running, 50-foot buzzer beater to get past Illinois State in its conference opener, but wasted no time taking charge against the Bears, rolling to a 46-24 advantage by intermission.

Jarred Dixon opened the second half with a 4-point play and Kabir Mohammed added a 3-point play cut the Missouri State deficit to 46-30, but the Bears were never able to get within single digits.

Fazekas was 6 of 11 from beyond the 3-point arc and Bakari Evelyn added 13 points off the bench for the Crusaders (9-6, 2-0). Deion Lavender grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists.

Dixon finished with 23 points for Missouri State (6-9, 0-2). Mohammed added another 13 points and grabbed eight boards.

— Associated Press —

Griffons rally at Central Oklahoma for first MIAA win, 85-80

Posted on January 4, 2019

EDMOND, Okla. – Griffon Men’s Basketball (7-7, 1-2 MIAA) picked up its first conference win at Central Oklahoma (7-5, 0-3 MIAA) on Thursday night. The Griffons used excellent free-throw shooting and key stops in the final minutes to improve to .500 on the season.

NOTABLES

The Griffons trailed by as much as 10 points in the first half before cutting the deficit to five going into halftime.
Central Oklahoma made five three’s on 50 percent shooting in the first half, but Missouri Western used 17 made free-throws to stay within reach.
Tyrell Carroll’s layup with 12:24 to play in the second half capped off a 22-4 run for the Griffons. The Griffons shot 60 percent and held Central Oklahoma to just 14 percent shooting while forcing five turnovers.
The Bronchos regained the lead at 78-77 with just over one minute to play.
Lavon Hightower calmly sank two free throws to give Missouri Western the one-point lead with 50 second remaining.
Central Oklahoma’s Marquis Johnson missed the potential go-ahead jumper on the ensuing possession.
Alex Martin grabbed the rebound before knocking down two-straight free throws for the Griffons.
The Griffons made all eight of their free throws in the final minute.
Missouri Western’s 36 made free-throws are the most by an MIAA team this season.
Al five Griffon starters scored in double-figures.

LEADERS

Carroll led the team in scoring with 18 points on 73 percent shooting while also dishing out a game-high five assists.
Hightower added 17 points and made all 13 of his free-throw attempts.
Alex Martin finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Bryan Hudson and Tyus Millhollin both scored 16 points.

UP NEXT

Missouri Western Men’s Basketball will travel to Northeastern State (6-6, 0-3 MIAA) on Saturday for its next game.
The RiverHawks lost to No. 2 Northwest Missouri 105-70 on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 2 Bearcats make 19 three-pointers in blowout win at Northeastern State

Posted on January 4, 2019

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcat men’s basketball team reached the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season with a 105-70 victory at Northeastern State University on Thursday night.

Northwest (13-0 overall) buried a season-high 19 three-pointers and shot 64.3 percent from the floor in moving to 3-0 in MIAA play. The Bearcats were one 3-pointer shy of matching the school record for 3-pointers in a game.

The Bearcats drained 19-of-29 shots (65.5 percent) from three-point range against the RiverHawks. Northwest came into the game ranked No. 1 in the nation in three-point field percentage at 46.1 percent.

Sophomore Ryan Hawkins went for a career-high for the second straight game with 31 points and five steals. Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins posted 22 points and eight assists in the win.

Northeastern State closed to within 23-22 with 6:23 left in the half before the Bearcats offense simply exploded with efficiency. Northwest made nine of its next 10 shots, including 8-of-9 from three-point range to take a 55-33 lead into the intermission.

The Bearcats will travel to Edmond, Oklahoma, on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. tip vs. the Central Oklahoma Bronchos.

NOTES: Ryan Welty was a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range … Welty came into the contest ranked as the NCAA’s active career three-point accuracy shooter at 53.6 percent (133-of-248) … Northwest dished out 23 assists and posted 11 steals … Northeastern State won the rebounding battle, 27-20 … it marks the first time this season that Northwest has been out-rebounded.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western women struggled in fourth, lose at UCO 69-56

Posted on January 4, 2019

EDMOND, Okla. – Missouri Western Women’s Basketball (6-6, 1-2 MIAA) fell on the road to Central Oklahoma (11-2, 2-1 MIAA) on Thursday night. The Griffons took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, but were outlasted in the final period and lost 69-56 to the Bronchos.

NOTABLES

Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter. The Bronchos outscored the Griffons 12-9 as both teams shot 33 percent from the field.
Katrina Roenfeldt’s three pointer as time expired in the third capped off a 13-4 run for the Griffons, giving Missouri Western the 41-40 lead going into the final quarter.
The Griffons shot 43 percent and forced five UCO turnovers in the third quarter.
Missouri Western was unable to keep up with the Central Oklahoma offense in the final period. The Bronchos scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, going 6-8 from three.
The Griffons shot 46 percent in the second half.

LEADERS

Roenfeldt led the Griffons with 14 points on four made three-pointers.
Jessica Davies finished with a team-high seven rebounds and 33 minutes.
Brittany Atkins added 10 points and four boards.

UP NEXT

Missouri Western will travel to Northeastern State (3-9, 0-3 MIAA) on Saturday.
The RiverHawks lost to Northwest Missouri 62-59 at home on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest women come back to win at Northeastern State

Posted on January 4, 2019

Northwest Missouri State got their first conference win in a 62-59 dogfight against Northeastern which featured 24 lead changes and 10 ties. The game was back and forth all night until Erika Schlosser hit the go-ahead 3 with 10 seconds left to give the Bearcats the 62-59 lead. This win was the first conference win of Austin Meyer’s young coaching career with the Bearcats.

The Bearcats only shot 33 percent from the field but combated that by making 16-18 from the free throw line and limiting themselves to 8 turnovers compared to Northeastern’s 17. The Bearcats were led in scoring by Kendey Eaton with 18, closely followed by Jaelyn Haggard with 17. Kaylani Maiava rounded out the double digit scorers for the Bearcats with 10 and led the team with 7 rebounds.

Northeastern had two players in double figures. Cailyn Long had 20 and Cenia Hayes had 11. Bailee Eldred led the Riverhawks with 12 rebounds. They shot 45 percent from the field but only 66 percent from the line.

Northwest continues the Oklahoma road trip and plays University of Central Oklahoma Saturday, Jan. 5 at 1:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri women open SEC play with big win at Ole Miss

Posted on January 4, 2019January 4, 2019

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball opened conference play in dominant fashion Thursday, as the Tigers defeated Ole Miss, 78-55, at Mizzou Arena. Mizzou had its best shooting night of the season in the victory, as the Tigers set season-highs in field goal percentage (65.9 percent) and three-point percentage (60 percent).

Mizzou’s 27-for-41 shooting night from the field was its first time shooting over 60 percent from the field since Feb. 23, 2017 against Ole Miss (60 percent, 30-for-50), while its 9-for-15 shooting from three marked its best shooting performance from deep since shooting 61.5 percent (8-for-13) against South Carolina on Jan. 7, 2018. Mizzou sank nine three-pointers in the game, marking the ninth time in the last 11 games Mizzou has made at least seven threes in a game.

TURNING POINT

For the second game in-a-row, Mizzou completely controlled an entire quarter to take a grasp of the game, this time the second quarter, as the Tigers outscored the Rebels, 21-6, in the second frame. The dominant quarter helped result in Mizzou taking a 40-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. Mizzou had nine players score in the half, led by senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) with nine points.

TOP TIGERS

Junior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) paced the Tigers with 18 points in the game, her seventh double-figure scoring performance in the least eight games. Smith was extremely efficient from the field in the game, as she shot 8-for-10 from the field.
Cunningham had 14 points in the game, and also contributed five rebounds and a team-high five assists. The Tiger senior had a perfect night shooting from the field in the game, as she shot 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from three.
Junior guard Jordan Roundtree (St. Louis, Mo.) was Mizzou’s third double-figure scorer, as she matched a career-high with 10 points.

NOTES

Mizzou’s 65.9 percent shooting from the field is its first time shooting better than 60 percent since Feb. 23, 2017 against Ole Miss (60 percent, 30-for-50), and its best shooting night overall in the last seven seasons dating back to the 2012-13 campaign.
The Tigers 60 percent success rate from deep (9-for-15) is its best shooting night from three since shooting 61.5 percent (8-for-13) against South Carolina on Jan. 7, 2018.
In addition to season-highs in field goal percentage and three-point percentage, Mizzou also set a season high in assists with 21, led by Cunningham’s five. Three other Tigers recorded three or more assists, as redshirt senior Lauren Aldridge (Marshfield, Mo.) and redshirt junior forward Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.) each had four, while redshirt freshman Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala.) had three. Schuchts and Troup each recorded career highs with their dimes.

UP NEXT

Next, Mizzou travels to Knoxville, Tenn., for a meeting with No. 10 Tennessee on Sunday. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

No. 5 Kansas holds off No. 23 Oklahoma 70-63

Posted on January 2, 2019

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The mantra at Kansas is “faces change, expectations don’t.”

Something else that doesn’t change? Oklahoma losing in Allen Fieldhouse.

Dedric Lawson had 13 points and 15 rebounds, Kansas’ young backcourt made enough crucial plays when it mattered, and the fifth-ranked Jayhawks began pursuit of their 15th consecutive Big 12 title by holding off the No. 23 Sooners 70-63 on Wednesday night.

Devon Dotson added 16 points and fellow freshman Quentin Grimes had 14 for Kansas (12-1, 1-0), which survived a nervy final minute to win its 18th straight against Oklahoma in the Phog.

“We don’t want any games to slip away from us,” Grimes said, “especially at home.”

The last time Kansas lost its initial Big 12 game was against Oklahoma on Jan. 8, 1991.

The Sooners (11-2, 0-1) nearly turned the trick again Wednesday night, rallying just about every time the Jayhawks went on a run. And when Charlie Moore missed two free throws in the final minute, Aaron Calixte’s off-balance runner got them within 67-63 with 31 seconds to go.

Dotson made the second of two foul shots at the other end for Kansas, and when Calixte and Kristian Doolittle came up empty for Oklahoma, Dotson made two more free throws to seal the win.

“We had some opportunities,” Sooners coach Lon Kruger said, “we just didn’t finish.”

Lagerald Vick contributed 12 points for the Jayhawks, despite an off night shooting the ball. He was 2 of 7 from beyond the arc, where the Jayhawks were just 4 of 21 as a team.

Brady Manek led the Sooners with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Doolittle added 10 points and Christian James had 11, though he was just 4 of 15 from the field and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.

“Got to take care of the ball more,” Manek said. “Thought we played better in the second half.”

The Jayhawks got off to a slow start, but Dotson’s layup midway through the first half catapulted them on a 15-0 run. Most of it was fueled by defense, where Udoka Azubuike swatted a shot and turnovers turned into easy fast-break opportunities. Dotson capped it with a 3-pointer from the wing.

Oklahoma briefly nipped into the lead, but the Jayhawks closed with a 12-3 charge — Lawson scored his first two field goals after a 0-for-9 start — to take a 40-25 lead into the break.

“I thought the first half we ran well. Probably as efficiently as we’ve run all year,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “The second half was a dud. There was no transition at all the second half.”

Indeed, the Sooners ramped up their defense, which had been holding opponents to 66.1 points, and made their own run early in the second half. The highlight came when Doolittle threw down an alley-oop dunk to wrap up a run of nine straight points over the opening five minutes.

Lawson provided an answer for the Jayhawks.

The preseason Big 12 player of the year scored back-to-back baskets moments later. Then, after Dotson knocked down a 3 off a pretty assist from Marcus Garrett, Lawson added another basket to provide the Jayhawks a 58-45 lead and force Kruger to call for a timeout.

“I knew in the post they were doubling,” Lawson said, “so I just tried to feel where they were doubling from. I got a couple of one-on-one opportunities and tried to take advantage of it.”

Oklahoma got the deficit back to single digits by the final media timeout, and kept the game close the rest of the way. But the Jayhawks, despite missing crucial free throws, managed to hang on for their 28th consecutive Big 12-opening win.

“You know,” Self said with a wry grin, “even though we didn’t do a lot of good things, we’ve won a lot of games like tonight over the course of the years. You don’t play great but you make sure the other team doesn’t play quite as good as you do.”

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma had won seven straight heading into the Phog, yet the Sooners’ struggles in the venerable field house continued.

Kansas struggled from the perimeter but made up for it with defense and determination. The Jayhawks tracked down loose balls, forced the Sooners into 17 turnovers and made enough free throws to survive.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma returns home for Bedlam against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Kansas visits Hilton Coliseum to face Iowa State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Short-handed K-State loses at home by 20 to Texas

Posted on January 2, 2019

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kace Febres scored 23 points and Texas Longhorns won its Big 12 Conference opener for the 15th time in 23 seasons, picking up a 67-47 win over short-handed Kansas State on Wednesday night.

The Longhorns won for the fourth time in their last five games. Kansas State’s Kamau Stokes, who averages 11.1 points per game, reinjured the ankle that sidelined him for much of last season during a morning shooting session and did not dress for the game. The Wildcats were already without Dean Wade, who is recovering for a foot injury.

Febres hit 8 of 10 shots from the field, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range. Kerwin Roach II had 10 points in the winning effort.

The Wildcats (10-3) have struggled offensively, averaging 67 points per game coming into conference play, and losing Stokes further hampered their ability to score. Makol Mawien had 12 points and was the lone scorer to reach double figures.

It was a good night for Texas from the 3-point line, shooting 64 percent and going 14-27, with five of those coming in the final five minutes.

Texas used a 33-12 run to end the game after trailing by as many as five in the second half.

With 10 minutes to play, Febres hit back-to-back three’s to give Texas a 40-35 lead and the Longhorns never trailed again.

The Wildcats used a 14-4 run to end the first half and start the second to take a two-point lead with 13 minutes left in the game.

Midway through the first half, Texas switched to a zone defense that stifled the Wildcats. K-State only went to the free throw line once while Texas shot three free throws in the first half.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State will need to rely on their bench play much more to carry the through this stretch without Wade and Stokes.

Texas picked up a huge road win to start conference play. If they can shoot the ball that well most of the season they will be in great shape.

UP NEXT

K-State will take on No. 11 Texas Tech on Saturday in Lubbock.

Texas hosts West Virginia at 8 p.m. Saturday.

— Associated Press —

No. 24 Nebraska falls at Maryland 74-72

Posted on January 2, 2019

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Nebraska’s final attempt to score had gone awry, and as the buzzer sounded, Maryland’s players rushed to the middle of the court to celebrate the team’s most significant victory of the season.

“We beat a really good team. We need that for a confidence builder,” coach Mark Turgeon said after the Terrapins used a late push to get past No. 24 Nebraska 74-72 on Wednesday night.

Bruno Fernando had 18 points and 17 rebounds, Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 19 points and freshman Jalen Smith accounted for Maryland’s final seven points to finish with 15, including a tiebreaking layup with 3.8 seconds left.

The Terrapins (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) had previously lost to Virginia, at Purdue and at home against Seton Hall. Turgeon rarely misses a chance to point out that this is “fifth-youngest team in the country,” but he also knows that isn’t an excuse for losing.

“Our guys are doing great,” Turgeon said. “We’re getting better. I’m just glad we won.”

Maryland trailed 71-70 before Smith made a follow-shot off a 3-point try by Cowan with 28 seconds left. After James Palmer converted 1 of 2 free throws for Nebraska, Smith drove the middle of the lane for his decisive layup.

Following a timeout, Nebraska (11-3, 1-2) tried to work the ball up the court before Ricky Lindo Jr. knocked away a pass under the basket to seal it.

“It was extremely encouraging for all of us, just to see how far we’ve come,” Fernando said. “Wins like that mean a lot to us, to the coaches, to everybody at the whole University of Maryland.”

Palmer scored 26 points and Glynn Watson Jr. added 12 for the Cornhuskers, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Nebraska coach Tim Miles lamented his team’s poor free-throw shooting (15 for 23), lack of rebounding (Maryland dominated 38-28) and a defense that allowed the Terps to hit eight 3-pointers.

“You can’t give them eight 3s and not rebound. Pick one that you want to be awful at,” Miles said.

It was a tough loss to take, as was an earlier seven-point setback at Minnesota, but Miles accepted it as life in the Big Ten.

“You’ve got to look at it from a global, big-picture perspective and say, `This is just the way it’s going be,” he said.

The final minutes went back and forth, with neither team able to take charge.

After a three-point play by Smith put Maryland ahead 70-67 with 2:42 left, Watson made two free throws and Palmer turned a steal into a dunk for a 71-70 lead with 2:13 remaining.

That would be the last time the Huskers were in front.

“You hear the celebration in the opposing locker room, and it’s disappointing because you probably played well enough to win but you just didn’t do enough little things,” Miles said.

The game was tied early in the second half before Maryland missed eight straight shots over a four-minute span while falling behind 47-39.

Fernando ended the drought with a layup and made another before Aaron Wiggins and Cowan drilled 3-pointers to cap a 10-2 run that tied it at 49 with 12 minutes left.

Neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.

SLOW START

Smith struggled in the first half, scoring only three points in nine minutes.

“He wasn’t very good early, was he?” Turgeon said. “I was chewing on him, the assistants were chewing on him, and he responded.”

DEFENSE RULES

The Cornhuskers limited Maryland to 28-for-60 shooting. It was the 38th time in 39 games Nebraska’s opponent failed to exceed 50 percent, dating to last season. Minnesota topped 50 percent on Dec. 5 in an 85-78 victory.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: Playing on the road in a loud arena, the Cornhuskers gave a tough Maryland team everything it could handle. But Nebraska needs to be more aggressive on the boards and against the Terps got only three players to the foul line.

Maryland: The Terrapins must build on this victory rather than merely bask in it. “We’re going to enjoy this one and move on,” Fernando said.

UP NEXT

Nebraska faces Iowa on the road Sunday.

Maryland travels to Rutgers on Saturday. The Terps are 6-0 against the Scarlet Knights since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

— Associated Press —